LAS VEGAS
A national commission has threatened to revoke the accreditation of the orthodontics program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas over concerns about the quality of its education.
The Commission on Dental Accreditation said the school had too many students, and not enough faculty. A lack of clinical education led to conditions where the “orthodontic education was shallow,” it said in a recent report.
Half of this year’s graduating class had no experience with patients who have severe problems with their gums, and many other students lacked experience in basic areas such as headgear and functional appliances.
“As a result, the visiting committee did not believe that the students/residents are receiving the orthodontics education that would prepare them for a clinical orthodontics practice,” the report stated.
In response, school officials said they would cut future class sizes from 16 students to eight and give each student four times as many patients to see.
